


On Immortality and Mortality

by wanderingidealism



Series: Bombur's Children [2]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Discussions of death and afterlife, F/M, Gen, Hurt, Immortality, M/M, Mortality, No Fluff, Other, Romance, Sad, Sad Ending, Sailing West, The Breaking of the World, VERY sad ending, and coming to terms with outliving your child, and the issues arising from it, but very little comfort, children finding out things they shouldn't, death during childbirth, sad topics, some dwarf superiority issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-17 05:13:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3516674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderingidealism/pseuds/wanderingidealism
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some problems were eventually going to turn up when raising an elf and a human. And Not all of these problems are easily solved.  Discussions of death and of immortality when one knows one will outlive their family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On Immortality.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elenorasweet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elenorasweet/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Bombur's Children](https://archiveofourown.org/works/962240) by [elenorasweet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elenorasweet/pseuds/elenorasweet). 



> warnings:  
> Oc death during pregnancy  
> burying a child  
> Outliving one's family.  
> dark topics including death and afterlife  
> I did my best with what I know of Tolkien canon, thank you to elenorasweet for clarifying some things!

** On Immortality. **

_Warnings: deals with the discussion of immortality in a family of mortals. This is bound to be sad. I placed it in the happiness and rainbows AU but it could be in the canon ending. I’m not happy with this and need some help fixing it to make it better and more…. Well more emotional really. This does not fully cover what I wanted to say nor does it seem like something that would cheer a child who will outlive their family up._

 

 

            “Amad,” Binur said softly from his spot in the kitchen, towering over the table, even with his slender shoulders hunched.

            “Yes dear?” Arunn asked, as she kneaded dough for the day’s bread. She was having quite a nice day so far, and was enjoying some quality time with her son while the younger ones napped or were at their lessons, and her other eldest was out and about. She was sad to see her children so independent, but proud at the same time.

            “I’m immortal,” Binur said softly, “I’m going to outlive everyone aren’t I?” He looked miserable and terrified at the prospect, his eyes watery.

            Arunn paused, her mind going blank; she wasn’t quite sure how to respond to this issue, though her and Bombur had known it would come up. The Prince of Mirkwood had mentioned it when he last visited, suggesting they speak with the young elf about it sooner rather than later. Arunn left the dough on the counter and wiped her hands on her apron, walking over to her distressed child and gently she wrapped her arms around him as she did when he was a child.

 

            “Yes,” She said sadly, “You will outlive us,” she was cut off by Binur, who made a small, choking sound and began to shake, crying softly, “and it is not easy to live with.”

            “What if I live so long I forget all of you?” the elf despaired, “What if I go across the sea and I can never see you again? Legolas said that he doesn’t think that Aüle would open his halls to an elf, and that I should go west.” Binur was shaking, his voice trembling, and Arunn couldn’t bear to see her son this sad.

 

            “Binur,” She said softly, running her hand through his hair soothingly, “Binur listen to me,” she said, making him meet her eyes. He looked up at her, his blue eyes watery and red-rimmed, “Listen to me, my son. You are immortal and will outlive us, but that does not mean our love for you will die along with us, nor your love for us. Even if you left us to go across the sea with the other elves we’d still love you, and at the breaking of the world we’ll be united again. Even after we die you’ll still have your memories of us, and your family’s grandchildren-your future nieces and nephews, and their own children after them- to keep you company, if that would sooth you. And we’ll always be in your heart. I know that our time together is but a blinking moment in an elf’s long life, but I know that it will be a moment so powerful you’ll never forget us. And we will wait for you until the day we’re able to meet again. Death does not end our family; it merely separates us for a little while.”

 

            Binur nodded, burying his face into her shoulder and sobbing silently into it while Arunn rubbed soothing circles into his back. They stayed like that for ages, until the pounding of little feet in the front walkway of the house alerted them to the return of the little ones from lessons, and Binur went upstairs to wash his face.

 

 

_When Makrun passed on years later during childbirth, Binur grew worried again. But as he held his nephew in his arms he made a promise to himself to never let the grief of an immortal life claim him for long, and to watch over his family for as long as the sea-calling was silent in him.  After the death of his parents and uncle and older cousin, he resisted the calling of the sea to watch over his siblings, who in turn watched him, until the year T.A.420, when they urged him to go to the Undying Lands with Legolas and Gimli, telling him that they would see him again ere the final breaking of the world._

_(And on that day, when the Ur family was finally reunited, Binur’s smile was the brightest of all)._

 

 

 

 


	2. On Mortality.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, Makrun comes to the realization that she'll die before any of her siblings reach majority, and her and Bombur have some family bonding time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:
> 
> DISCUSSION OF DEATH  
> COMING TO TERMS WITH MORTALITY  
> DEATH OF AN OC DURING CHILDBIRTH  
> MOURNING  
> EVENTUAL MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH  
> APOCALYPSE KIND OF.

 

** On Mortality. **

_Makrun’s life. This is very VERY sad._

_Triggers: Death during childbirth, bullying, etc. also lots of Bifur and Makrun feels because there is not enough Bifur. Ever._

_Notes on afterlife in Tolkien’s universe:_

_Elves who die go to the halls of mandos alongside dwarves who die- Aüle has his own halls there too btw. Elves who DON’T die can sail west, back to the shores of Valinor which contains the hall of mandos but is somewhat separated from it I guess._

_Humans and Hobbits have no KNOWN afterlife because that was Eru’s gift to them. It was supposed to be a great secret, but a good secret for his mortal children. But then Melkor fucked it up as he usually does. He made humans, elves, hobbits, and dwarves fear the unknown. So Melkor ruined The special, secret surprise that was the mortal children of Eru’s gift to them. fuck Melkor. (this is a really inelegant explaination. I suggest you read the simarillion and other works of Tolkien’s to find out more.) I apologize for uncanon stuff._

 

 

            Makrun knew she would die before her family and she had known since the age of seven. This happened on accident because she stumbled across a book on humans in Erebor’s great library and being a precocious child she began reading it.

            She ran home sobbing, ignoring Ori’s worried cries as she darted past him, because she realized that she was going to grow old and die before the youngest of her brothers even reached his majority; she wondered if her family thought her weak and foolish because of her short life-span. The dwarf who wrote the book certainly seemed to think so.

            Bifur was the one to find her crying, as when she threw open the door to the house she slammed right into him. He instantly wrapped his arms around her and guided her inside to the den. He sat down by the hearth with her, her head in his lap and let her sob into his thigh.

 

            It was a while before his little cousin spoke, using iglishmek, to tell him what was wrong.

            “I-I found a book and it said I’m going to die before I even become a grown-up in Dwarf society!” she signed with a sob, “a-and it called humans weak and stupid and greedy. But I’m mostly upset because I’m mortal and you’ll all outlive me and I won’t get to see my brothers and sister get married or have children, and I’ll fade away from memory because you live so long!” she broke into fresh sobs and Bifur held her close. He didn’t know how to comfort her, for it was true that she would die before the rest of her family, a human’s life being but a brief spark of beauty before being snuffed out by time or disease. He just let her cry herself out on his leg until she fell asleep.

 

            Bombur arrived home first, having rushed there after Ori came to him in the kitchens to inform him that Makrun had fled the library in tears. Bifur gestured him over to explain what had happened. Bombur nodded solemnly and gently switched places with his cousin, who left the room to give them privacy.

 

            Bombur gently shook his little daughter awake, and she grumbled lowly as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

            “Hello little one,” he smiled gently, and Makrun threw herself into him and began crying again.

            “Adad, I’m going to die!” she despaired, as Bombur rubbed her back.

 

            “Yes,” Bombur said softly, “so that’s why we have to make the most of the time we have with you, because it’s all the more precious,” Bombur said, holding Makrun closer when she began to sob, her little shoulders shaking. “We don’t think any less of you; you’re our beloved child, and you’re part of our family too. Just like how Binur won’t forget us after we pass on, we won’t forget you when you pass on. We love you very much, Makrun. And don’t let anyone tell you you’re weak or foolish because you are of the race of man; there are plenty of weak and foolish dwarves running around, and we have fairly long lifespans!” Bombur finished, running a gentle hand through his daughter’s hair.

 

            Makrun managed to hiccup a laugh, wiping tears from her eyes.

            “Promise you won’t forget me?” She asked, looking him in the eyes seriously, her expression far too grave for any seven-year-old.

            “I swear on it,” Bombur said, hugging her even tighter. They stayed like that for the rest of the afternoon, talking about everything and anything they could think of.

 

 

            _Bombur remembered that afternoon barely thirteen years later, when he held his daughter’s left hand as she lay dying after giving birth to her first and only child. Her husband, a young ranger with dark hair and green eyes, sat beside her with her right hand in his, tears streaking down his face, as Arunn held their child, watching yet another beloved person die (in the same way her mother did twenty years before). Bombur remembered that afternoon as he lay his youngest child to rest, his family in mourning around him. He held his first grandchild knowing that one day he may have to bury this child too, and that his children would bury him and Arunn, and then the next child of Makrun’s line. He prayed his daughter’s husband was not still alive to see the day they lay the infant in his arms down to rest. The grief of outliving the very person one raised from infancy was heart-wrenching and painful, like a dagger. It felt as if one had somehow failed as a parent; like one’s protection and nurturing were not enough to carry the child through life. Bombur wished it were he that was being laid to rest that day, not his beloved daughter._

 

 

_(“No parent should have to bury their child.”)_

_He never forgot his human daughter, who should have had a much longer life; he thought about her every day right up until he passed from this world, always praying he’d meet her again in Aule’s halls or the halls of Mandos._

 

_Bombur could only wait to reunite his family for the Final Breaking of the world, when they would be called from the halls and from the Undying Lands to help rebuild a better world._

 

 

 


End file.
